Warrior
by Avy Mac
Summary: This is the story of Rusl, a character who's not often given much thought. This story shows who his family is, how he grows up, how he meets those of the resistance, and of Link's adventure through life, all from Rusl's point of view (not 1st person point of view). This is Rusl's story from childhood until death.
1. The Beginning Years

Rusl walked up to the bassinet sitting in the corner and looked inside, being a curious three year old. The baby inside was so small and the blonde hair could barely be seen. She was sleeping so soundly, wrapped up in a little light blue blanket.

"Rusl?" Rusl turned to the soft voice. It was his mother, Akiyo, who was coming to check on the baby. "Are you watching over the baby?"

"Yea."

"That's so sweet of you." She sat down next to him. "You know, when a baby is sleeping, you have to be really quiet, or they may wake up and start crying."

"Ok. I'll be quiet."

"That's my little warrior." She ruffled his hair and he smiled. "Do you want to know her name?"

"Yea."

"Her name is Uli."

"Uli?"

"Mmhmm."

"Will we be friends?"

"That is up to you and her. Right now, she doesn't know much around her. She only knows is to sleep because she's sleepy. She'll cry when she needs food or attention."

"Did I do that?"

"Yes, you did. Every baby does. It's so that way they can grow up."

"Will I grow up?" She put a hand on his shoulders.

"Yes, honey. You'll grow up. You'll keep growing even if you stop getting taller."

"How?"

"You'll keep growing in here." She put her free hand on his head. "And in here." She put her hand on his chest. "And those will continue to grow for a long time."

"Like a giant?"

"Yes, honey, like a giant." His mother hugged him tight and smiled. "A big, tough, giant."

~Three years later~

Shortly after Rusl turned four, a famine came through and wiped out half of Ordon Village's population, taking Rusl's mother along with it. Despite the loss, Rusl kept his spirits high.

"Wusl! Wait!" Uli was climbing up a tree, following behind Rusl and Bo. Bo was 10 years old, four years older than Rusl.

"Rusl, why did you have to invite a girl to climb trees with us?" Bo asked.

"She can climb." Rusl got up to the branch Bo was at. "You can do it, Uli." Uli was still really small and she couldn't quite reach to the other branches. She slipped a little and grabbed tightly onto the branch, screaming.

"I don't wanna cwimb anymo! I'm scawed!" Rusl started climbing back down to her.

"Come on. It's not so bad once you get used to it. I started climbing trees a long time ago. You can do it." He reached out to her. She was scared, but reached up to him. He pulled her up. "We need to get to the top, Uli. We can do it." Rusl and Uli kept climbing.

"Wow, you guys are something else." Bo said, shaking his head.

"Keep your trap shut, Bo. You'll see. With my training, she'll be able to climb higher than you can."

"We'll see about that."

"Bo, you meanie." Uli shouted.

"I could have you thrown in prison for that."

"Bo, there isn't a prison in Ordon."

"There's the stables run by Fado."

"Yes, but those are for goats, she'd easily be able to slip out. Plus, Fado is a kind old man who would not let a little girl get locked up."

"His son might though."

"Ronjer wouldn't do that either." Without either of them noticing, Uli had climbed passed Bo. She sat on a branch four branches higher than Bo.

"Hey, look at me." Rusl looked up and saw Uli.

"Thata girl! I knew you could do it." Bo looked up. "Looks like you think too highly of yourself, Bobo."

"Don't call me that!" Rusl laughed and climbed up to the branch Bo was on.

"Then be nice to Uli."

"Why should I?"

"Because, you are the future mayor of Ordon. I won't follow your lead if you continue to act like a spoiled bully." Rusl climbed up to another branch.

"You would have no choice. You are part of Ordon. We're a family and a family sticks together."

"You don't count, you're always mean to her and that's not nice. She can't help being a girl. But she's a good girl because she's nice and she can climb higher than you."

"Oh yea!?" Bo got up and started climbing up again, then slipped and started to fall. "Ah!" Rusl jumped down quickly to the closest branch, almost losing his balance, but caught Bo's hand. Then he started to fall. He managed to grab the branch he was falling from. He tried to pull them back up. Bo tried to reach a branch below them, which wasn't helping Rusl's grip.

"Wusl! Bo!"

"We're going to be ok, Uli. Don't worry." Rusl started to slip more. "Bo, stop moving!"

"I don't wanna fall and die!"

"You're not gonna die!" Rusl started to slip more and they both fell. Falling and hitting a few branches as they fell. Rusl tried to stand up, but when he put weight on his left leg, he screamed and fell forward, crying, clutching his leg.

"Rusl, are you ok?"

"My leg! I think it's broken!"

"Wusl!" Rusl looked up and saw Uli trying to come down. Uli slipped and started to scream.

"Watch out!" Bo caught her. "You ok, Uli?"

"Yea, I'm ok." Bo smiled.

"Good." He set her down gently onto the ground. She ran to Rusl's side.

"Wusl, aw you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Uli." Rusl smiled. "Not to worry." Bo walked over.

"At any rate, we need to get you back to the village so your dad can take a look at your leg."

"Oh gods, not him…"

"Well, he is the village healer. You know that." Bo turned him around and lifted him up, trying to be careful of his broken leg. Uli followed close by, feeling very worried. They made it to the house second furthest from the start of the trail. "Uli, will you knock on the door to see if he's home." Uli quietly knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal a tall, light blond haired man with silver eyes. He instantly saw Rusl in Bo's arms and sighed.

"What did you do now?"

"We were climbing trees and we fell. Rusl's leg might be broken." Bo explained. Rusl closed his eyes and lowered his head. Rusl's dad sighed again.

"Bring him in and set him on the couch." Bo nodded and did as ordered. "Looks like you've been rather scratched up too, Bo."

"Yea, but I'm alright. I don't think anything's broken."

"Still though, we should put some disinfectant syrup on the wounds and cover them up. Even the tiniest scratch could be infected, especially if you fell out of a tree."

"Uncle, I'll be fine. I was once stabbed in the leg with a pitch fork without anyone noticing and that was used on dirty, bug covered, hay."

"And you're lucky to be alive." The healer looked over Rusl's leg, poking it to try and find the break. He poked it right at the ankle and Rusl yelped and pulled back. "Looks like it doesn't need to be straightened out, it's stayed in place, but broke. I'll wrap it up, but you can't walk on it for quite a while." Rusl crossed his arms. "Oh, don't give me that. You know better than to climb trees, you know what can happen if you do."

"It's best to train, just in case someone attacks. We could hide in the trees."

"Rusl, enough of that. We've been at peace for generations."

"You never know though. Not long after the Hylian Civil War, there was the war with the Gerudo that wiped them out. The entire population of Hyrule moved after that. Leaving only one little Ranch to defend itself against everything else because our ancestors were too stubborn to follow. This world may be at peace, but for how much longer? That's why we should train ourselves, to defend against such a thing."

"That's enough. Don't try to be a warrior, Rusl. It'll only end up in getting you killed."

"Towards what, since apparently there's no threat?"

"There's people out there who wouldn't hesitate to kill you. I am not going to argue with you about this." Rusl pouted again.

"You never argue about anything… You don't know anything…"

"I at least know more than you because I lived here much longer. You're only six, Rusl. You're too young to understand the world."

"I at least know it's better to be prepared in case of the worst. No one in our village fights. Pergie's big sister wandered into the woods and never came back. It's been over a year since. Something had to attack her. She went into those woods so many times. Not once did she get hurt, then she goes missing and no one can find her."

"She probably fell off the edge of the bridge."

"A small little girl just as old as Bo is now falling off of such a wide bridge? I don't think so. You know what I saw once too."

"A goblin is something from an old wives' tale."

"It was a Bokoblin, Daddy. Like the ones from a long time ago. They came back. They probably ate her and use her bones for weapons and jewelry. Like what we do with deer and anything else we catch and eat. Daddy, they're out there and this village is just a sitting cucco just waiting to be attacked."

"That's enough. I already told you." Rusl glared at him. Ever since Rusl's mom died, the bond between Rusl and his father has greatly disappeared.

"I'll show you, I'll become a warrior. I'll prove to you that we should learn to fight."

"Uncle Calin, why aw you scawed of mean people? Bobo is mean all da time."

"Hey!" Bo yelled.

"There's a difference. Very mean people are more likely to hurt others for no reason at all. Those like Bo tend to be bullies, that's all, but have a kind heart deep down."

"You're mean, Uncle…"

"Let's face it, Bo, you do tend to get a little bit rude to others and are quite the instigator. Though, you still take care of others, which is more than what really mean people will do." Calin finished up tying up Rusl's leg. "Though, really mean people live far away. You don't have to worry."

"Until they decide to attack us." Rusl mumbled.

~Two years later~

A series of cries and screams broke through the twilight's silence but was far from the village of Ordon.

"Wow, Rusl. That was amazing!" Uli said. Rusl spun his wooden sword around and shouted. He looked over at Uli and smiled.

"Thanks." Uli smiled. She sat on a rock and watched as Rusl swung his home made wooden sword around. "One of these days." He slashed down. "I'm going to get a real sword." He spun around again, spinning a bit too much and fell over. Uli giggled.

"There you guys are." Rusl got up and turned around.

"Hey, Bo. Ready to practice?"

"You bet." Bo pulled out his own wooden sword, one that Rusl made for him. Bo raced toward him, Rusl held up his sword, using his other hand for support as Bo slashed down at him. Rusl pushed back and delivered his own attack. Bo moved away and went for a stab, but Rusl twirled his way around and then stabbed at Bo, stabbing him in the side. "Ah! I'm hit." He falls down goofily and acts as if he's dead.

"Yay! Rusl killed Bo!" Bo quickly sat up.

"Hey!" Rusl laughed and offered his hand to him. Bo grabbed it, letting Rusl help him up.

"Good job. You prove to be quite the opponent." Rusl turned his head to look at Uli. "You sure you don't want to practice with us?"

"I'm sure. I want to learn how to take care of people like Uncle Calin. That way if you guys get hurt, I can take care of you. Knowing you guys, you're reckless enough to get hurt a lot."

"I'll take that as a compliment, milady." Rusl bowed, using his sword for support. Bo hit the sword with his and caused Rusl to fall with a shout.

"Man down." Rusl looked up and glared at him, then started laughing. He got up.

"That was such a cheap hit."

"Hey, you're the one preaching about always be aware and being prepared." There was a noise off in the distance and Rusl's head snapped to the direction of it.

"Did you guys hear that?"

"Like I'm falling for that."

"This is not a trick. Listen." It was silent. There was then a shout of something they didn't recognize. "There it was. Did you hear it that time?"

"Yea…"

"We have to go home, now! Bo, carry Uli, she's not fast enough on her own." Bo nodded and went over to Uli, kneeling down.

"Come on, Princess. We've got to go." Uli was on the verge of tears because she was so scared.

"They're coming!" Rusl shouted. Uli climbed onto Bo's back. Bo stood up and started to run. Rusl started running behind them.

"What are they?!"

"Bokoblins!"

"I thought those were only a legend!"

"I told you I saw one!" They could hear the shouts of the bokoblins behind them. "They're gaining on us!" Rusl looked at Uli who had her eyes closed tight and tears rolling down her cheeks. He knew he had to do something. "Get Uli to safety!"

"What are you going to do?!"

"I'm gonna hold them off while you two escape!"

"That's suicide!"

"I don't care! Go!" Rusl stopped, skidding on the ground a bit and turned around. He stood his ground at the oncoming attack. When one got close, he slashed at them, making them fall, but not doing them much damage with a wooded sword. It got back up and tried to attack with its bone machete. Rusl hit it again, hitting it right on its neck. It fell to the ground dead.

Then, something he didn't understand happened. Its skin started to bubble. It then exploded and only pieces remained in various places. Being distracted from the horrible site, he didn't realize there was one closing in on him. He was tackled onto the ground. His wooden sword was knocked out of his hand. He started sobbing and crying as he tried to push the bokoblin off of him, which was trying to bite him. It bit him on his shoulder and he screamed.

He punched the Bokoblin off of him and scrambled to get up, grabbing his sword. He started to run as fast as his could, but ended up tackled again. He was being pinned, feeling so many weird, misshaped hands touching all over him. He started to cry more. He felt his sword taken out of his hand and his wrists were being tied. He was now being dragged along the forest floor. He struggled to break free, but he was too panicked to think clearly. The dragging suddenly stopped as he heard what sounded like a horse coming his way. He heard shouting of the bokoblins and hearing their footsteps as they charged. Rusl covered his head and curled up, waiting for the chaos to be over. He heard more shouts of the bokoblins.

"Rusl!" Rusl looked up and saw Old Man Fado on his pure black horse, Nightmare. Fado got off and raced toward him. He knelt in front of him and undid the bounds around his wrists. "You alright, lad?" Rusl started to sob. Fado hugged him tightly. "There, there. It's alright lil' one."

"I was so scared…"

"I know." Fado lifted him up. "Let's go and get you back home. We need to be quick. Some Bokoblins got passed me." Rusl nodded. Fado got him onto his horse and then he got on behind. He kicked Nightmare's side to get him to go, he started to gallop towards the village.

"How did you know where to find me?"

"Bo and Uli came to the village. Uli came and got me, since I'm a hunter. I may be old, but I'm still a sharp shooter." Nightmare made it to the village, though, they didn't see any bokoblins along the way.

"Rusl!" Rusl turned his head, his father was running toward them. Fado helped him down and got down himself. "Oh my gods, you're ok!" Calin hugged him tightly. "I was so worried about you." Rusl hugged him tightly and began to cry, letting a sob or two escape his throat.

"I'm sorry…"

"You don't need to apologize, my boy. I should. You were right all along and I'm so sorry…" Calin hugged him tighter then pulled away to looked at him. "Oh, you're shoulder is bleeding."

"One of them bit me."

"Let's take care of it right away." Calin lifted him up like you'd carry a toddler. Rusl was very small for his age. Rusl rested his head on his dad's shoulder. "Thank you, Fado. For finding my son."

"Ah, no need to thank me, Cal. You'd uh done the same for mine, wouldn't ya?"

"Of course, though I don't know how great I'd be since, well. I'm healer, not a hunter." Fado laughed.

"Yea, now go on, get yer son cleaned up. I gotta talk at the Mayor." Calin nodded. Both Bo and Uli ran up, as well as young Pergie who ran beside Uli.

"Is Rusl alright?" Uli asked.

"Yes, he just has a minor injury." Bo opened the door for Calin's house. He set Rusl down on the couch and took off his tank top shirt after undoing the ribbon around his waist.

"I knew I shouldn't have left him behind." Bo said.

"I'm ok, Bo. Really." Rusl assured. "Thank you for getting Uli to safety." Bo smiled a little. Calin grabbed a jar and poured some of the contents onto a cloth. He then dabbed it on Rusl's wound, which made Rusl cringe.

"What you did was really reckless, Rusl." Bo scolded. "You could have gotten more hurt than that. Looks like you have some burns too. Turns out the blood of the bokoblins burn when it touches your skin."

"How do you know that?"

"Some bokoblins came and attacked. Me and Uncle Ronjer grabbed pitch works and defended the village. What was weird was the bokoblins exploded into pieces. Some of the blood splattered on us and we felt like we were burning. Looks like some of the blood splattered on you too."

"Daddy and Uncle Ronjer are working to build a gate to keep the bokoblins out." Pergie said. "It may take time though." Pergie was a year older than Rusl.

"To think, bokoblins were thought to be legends."


	2. Meetings

~Four years later~

Rusl and his father walked into the market of Hyrule. They came by horse and wagon.

"We probably aren't going to be here for long, ok, Rusl?" Calin told him.

"That's ok." Calin smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Why don't you look around for a bit? I'll meet you over at Telma's bar. If I'm not there by the time you get there, stay there and wait. Tenya is an old friend, she'll watch you." Rusl nodded. His father walked off in a different direction. Rusl looked around, trying to find something specific to buy with his money. He earned it by doing chores. It took a really long time searching and searching. Then, he spotted it. There was a stand that had many swords on display.

"I'd like to buy one, please." Rusl said to the sword seller.

"Ha, you? You're a child."

"Isn't it Hylian tradition for twelve year olds to have a sword? It's a rite of passage. I have money, too."

"Fine, fine, boy. Pick one. I'll tell you its worth."

"You better not lie to me."

"Nah, being a blacksmith and a swordsmith, you've gotta have honor. Without it, the blade won't obey and the swords are horribly crafted." Rusl looked down at the swords, surveying each one. One stood out to him and he grabbed it.

"How about this one?"

"Why that one?"

"It stood out to me the most."

"Well, you've got quite the eye for swords, don't ya?"

"Mhmm, I want to train so I can protect my village. I'm still pretty bad at it, but I'm sure I can learn well enough to help."

"That's mighty fine of ya. Y'know, every sword has its own spirit. Only one out of several thousand others out there will be compatible with your own spirit. I can see though, you match. Tell ya what. I don't do this for anyone, but since you're so young and seem to have a knack for finding yourself a proper sword for you, it's free."

"What? Really? I don't want to do that to you. These must cost a fortune. I gotta pay you something."

"Fine, then at least 50 rupees and we'll call it a deal." Rusl nodded and handed him a couple of red rupees. "Pleasure doing business with you, boy." Rusl smiled.

"Thank you." He put it around him and took off. He wasn't paying attention and ran into a woman. She dropped her basket of fruits. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Rusl knelt down and started to pick up the fruits to put them in the basket.

"Oh, it's ok, dear. I was a rambunctious little one like you once." She took hold of the basket. Rusl noticed there was a little baby in a sling around her chest.

"That's a cute baby."

"You think so? I think so too."

"Yea, he's really adorable. I remember when Uli was a baby. Her cheeks were so rosy and chubby. She looked so cute."

"Aw. That does sound really cute. Would you like to hold him?"

"Can I really?"

"Of course, just be careful." She set the basket down and then carefully took the baby out of the sling and handed him to Rusl. Rusl cradled him and looked down at him.

"Aw, he's so small and cute! He has such pretty blue eyes."

"Yea. He's my little baby. His name is Link."

"Link?"

"Yep, like the Heroes of Legends. It was my husband, Thomas's, idea."

"Wow. Hi Link, my name's Rusl." The little baby giggled. Rusl smiled more. "Aw, you're so cute! I wish I could keep you."

"He's quite a little nuisance really. He always spits up his food and pulls your ears."

"I see. You're a little stinker then, huh?" He tickled him gently causing him to giggle again. "A cute little stinker."

"He is pretty lucky he's cute sometimes." Rusl carefully handed the infant to his mother.

"My name's Rusl by the way." Shena giggled. Rusl already said his name, but didn't realize she overheard.

"Shena. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too." Shena smiled.

"So, are you practicing to be a swordsman?"

"Yep! I want to protect people."

"Like Uli I'm guessing?"

"Mhmm." Shena smiled. "I want to ask her to be mine. Shh, don't tell her though should you meet her. I want to surprise her."

"Aw. Well I'll be sure to keep my lips sealed." Rusl smiled widely.

"I should probably meet my dad at Telma's Bar now. He said we weren't going to be here for very long."

"Alright. It was nice meeting you. Maybe we'll meet again in the future."

"That'd be nice." Rusl smiled. "See you later." He took off toward the back alley and followed it until he found a flight of stairs. He went down and walked in.

"Hey there, boy. Looking for someone?" A woman said from behind the counter.

"Yes, I'm looking for my father. His name's Calin. He told me to meet here."

"Ah, yes. I remember Calin. Go ahead and sit in the back. When he comes in, I'll let him know you're here."

"Thank you, Miss."

"Please, call me Tenya."

"Ok, thank you Miss Tenya." Tenya smiled. Rusl walked over to the back and sat in a chair.

"Hi!" Rusl looked over to see a little girl. Her two front teeth were missing.

"Hey."

"My name's Telma. I wath named after my granny who owned thith plathe." Rusl held out his hand.

"My name's Rusl. I'm an original. I think." Telma grabbed his hand and pulled him off the chair.

"Will you play with me?"

"Sure."

"Yay!" Telma let his hand go and walked over to a box. She dragged the box over which was filled with a bunch of wooden figures. "Can we play River Monthterth?"

"What's that?"

"Let me show you." She dumped the contents of the box out on the floor and grabbed a ribbon out of the mess. "Thith ith the river." She started to separate the figures and the blocks. "We build a bathe and then you pick three, I pick three, and then the retht will be monthterth. You thit on one thide, I'll thit on the other. We have to protect againtht the montherth attack."

"Ok, sounds like fun." Telma smiled wide, showing her missing teeth. They built their base, picked their characters and started to play. Telma grabbed a few of the river monsters and put them in front of the ribbon. They start to move forward.

"Colonel Muthtache, you are the leader, you gotta call the shotth."

"Colonel Mustache?"

"He ith your character. Right there." She pointed to a little dog figure with what looked to be a scruffy mustache.

"Oh. Alright, men. We have a wave of ugly river monsters comin our way. You there. Guard our left." Rusl pointed to one of the figures.

"Aye, thir. Right away. Wrinkle-butt ith on the move!" Rusl laughed a little at the names the little girl gave her toys. As time went on, more river monsters were defeated. Eventually Colonel Mustache was killed. Rusl picked up one of his other characters, one that represented a little bird.

"And the leader is you, Wrinkle-butt!"

"Muthtache!" The two busted out laughing, falling over. They both got up and tried to stop, but the moment they managed to stop, they started laughing again.

"Well, it looks like you two are having fun." They both turned to Tenya standing in the doorway, a cloth draped on her shoulder and arms crossed.

"Hi, mommy!" Telma says.

"Hey, sweetie. So uh, Rusl, right?"

"Uh-huh." Rusl answered

"When was your father coming?"

"I don't know. I know he told me to meet him here."

"I see."

"How long has it been since I came here?"

"It's been probably three hours. It's Twilight hour."

"What?!" Rusl stood up. "He said we weren't going to be here very long…" Rusl looked down at Telma, then looked up. "I'm gonna go find him."

"I wouldn't advice that, child. It's late and very dangerous."

"I thought Hyrule's been at peace."

"It may be at peace, but there are still criminals out there."

"Tenya, is everything ok?" Tenya turned her head.

"Hello, Tom." A tall, blond man walked over to the little alcove. His bangs were parted down the middle and his eyes were a crystal blue. "Yes, everything's ok." He put his arm on the doorway arch. "This boy's father should have been here already and now he wants to go find him."

"Hmm." Tom looked Rusl over. "Why not let him go? He's got a sword."

"He's just a boy, Thomas." Tenya snapped at him. He smirked.

"So what? That doesn't mean he can't fight."

"I have to find my dad. He's the only family I have left." Rusl explained.

"Hey, how about we go looking together? I'm one of the best Knights in my squad. Not the best, but probably somewhere close. What say you, Tenya?" Jokingly trying to sound all noble.

"Oh alright. If that's ok with you, Rusl."

"Yes. I'm still in training anyway."

"Can I go too, mommy?" Telma asks.

"No, honey. You're still really little."

"I'm theffen!"

"It's almost time for bed, Telma."

"Ok…" Rusl put a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"Telma, when I come back some day, we'll play again, alright?"

"Really?"

"Yep. I promise." Telma smiled, once again showing which teeth were missing. Rusl looks up at Thomas. "We should go."

"Right. Come on, munchkin." Rusl started to follow Thomas out. "We need to stop off at my place first. I need to let my wife know I'll be a little late for supper."

"Ok." They walked down the alley and stopped at a house. Thomas opened the door.

"Come on." Thomas said and they both walked in.

"Welcome home, honey." A woman stood in the kitchen, preparing something, probably was going to be their supper.

"Thanks. Though I won't stay long." She turned around. Rusl recognized her instantly.

"Why?"

"Well, this boy here's father hasn't shown up and he and I were going to look together."

"Oh, hey I remember you. You're Rusl."

"Mhmm, it's nice to see you again." Rusl felt something paw at his foot. He looked down. "Oh, hi, Link." Rusl scooped him up in his arms.

"You two met?" Thomas asked.

"Yes. The little rascal accidently bumped into me."

"Wow, how fate brings people together."

"The Gods probably meant for this to happen for some reason. We'll find out one of these days."

"Right." Thomas looked down at Rusl who wasn't even paying attention and just bouncing Link and cooing at him, Link was giggling and trying to reach out and grab his nose. "We should probably get going while we still have light."

"Oh, right." Rusl set Link down on the ground. "See you around, Link."

"Aka!" Link shrieked. Rusl smiled. Thomas walked out. Rusl followed behind him.

"Your son is really cute."

"Thanks. I worry for the little one. He isn't very strong and he gets sick rather easily. He was born prematurely, I believe three months sooner than he should have been. He wasn't even alive when he was born, he's quite the miracle."

"Sounds like it. Especially to be born so early. Uli was supposed to have a little brother, but he was born really early and couldn't breathe. Worse, Uli's mom sustained horrible injuries and died before the baby was even born. She had been up at the ranch and a goat got mad."

"That sounds awful. I don't know what I'd do if I lost either Link or his mother. I'd probably go insane. They're the stabling factor in my life." Rusl looked forward, taking in all Thomas is saying.

"Does a lover and child really mean that much to someone that they'd go crazy without them?"

"Of course. The only fate worse than losing your wife is losing your child. You'll understand much better once you're older and have a family of your own."

"I believe I sort of understand already. This girl, Uli, I want to learn to fight, to protect her. I think I love her. Every time I see her, my heart flutters and I get really happy."

"Sounds like the start of love to me."

"You really think so?"

"Yea. I've known Shena since I was a baby, we were childhood friends, her, me, and Mayrie. All three of us grew up together. Shena and I loved each other before you were even born. We promised ourselves to each other. We recently married, about two years ago. Seven months ago, Link was born. Shena is unable to have any more children, but I still love her deeply and I love our son to no end. I'd do anything for them."

"Wow, so that's love?"

"It's not the same for everyone, you have to find your own way. How do you feel about Uli?"

"I would give my life to keep her safe. I've known her since she was born and I've kept her safe all this time. I plan to become a great swordsman so that I can protect her better. I could have lost her once if it wasn't for me and my friend."

"Use that motivation to learn. You'll get there. I promise." Rusl smiled. Thomas suddenly stopped and put his arm in front of Rusl. "Hold." Thomas looked around the corner carefully. "There seems to be someone on the ground further down the alley." Thomas started to walk stealthily down the alley. Rusl followed close behind, doing the same as he was, sidling along the wall. They got closer and,

"Dad!" Rusl ran to his side. "No, dad!" There was bleeding coming from his stomach. "Dad, wake up." Rusl shook his shoulders. "Please…" Thomas quickly pulled Rusl back behind him and drew his sword, blocking another blade.

"Damion…" Thomas spoke through clenched teeth and glared. Rusl looked up at the man who attacked. He had pitch black hair that was cut really short. "What did this man do to you?" Damion smiled wickedly.

"He's a heathen. A rounded eared freak."

"That does not give you the right to harm him." Thomas lifted the blade up and pushed Damion back. "You are under arrest charged with murder. Move an inch and I'll run you through." Damion smiled even more wickedly, seeming to be enjoying all this. Rusl stared at the man, anger rising.

"Why you…?" Rusl drew his blade. "You demon!" Rusl went to attack.

"Rusl, stop!" Thomas pulled him back and wrapped an arm across his chest to keep him from moving forward.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Rusl kept trying to attack, feeling nothing but pure anger and sadness. People were starting to see what the commotion was about, coming out of their houses and looking down the alley. "Let me go! Let me kill him! He murdered my dad!" Rusl shouted.

"Stop this now!" Rusl started sobbing and hyperventilating, feeling so much anger and sadness course through him, getting worse and worse with each passing moment. Damion took that chance to take off while Thomas had his hands full. Rusl's sword dropped out of his grip and he collapsed in Thomas's grip. Thomas made him sit on the ground and spun him around. "Rusl, look at me, ok?"

"He was… the only… my mom… when I was four… dad was all… I had left…"

"That's not true. You still have your Uli, don't you? Don't give up. She'd be sad without you, wouldn't she?"

"Maybe…"

"If you feel that love for her, chances are she loves you the same. Stay strong, for her. It'll be hard, believe me. Both my parents were taken from me when I was young. You'll be alright though. You have your love." Rusl let out another sob. Thomas hugged him tight and then scooped him up in his arms, carrying him away. Rusl was out of energy and made no fuss about it. Thomas got back to the front of his house and knocked on the door with his foot. Shena opened the door, instantly seeing Rusl.

"What happened?"

"The boy's father's been killed."

"Oh, that's horrible…" Thomas nodded and walked in. He turned and set Rusl down on a large bed, presumably the bed Shena and Thomas sleep on.

"The poor boy wore himself out trying to kill the man who killed his father."

"I see…" Rusl curled up in a ball on the bed, crying silently, an occasional sob came through. Link crawled over and tried to climb up onto the bed, but was unable, so he started crying. Shena knelt down and picked him up. Link still continued to cry no matter how much Shena tried to calm him, he kept on trying to reach for the bed. Shena eventually gave up and set him on the bed. He stopped crying and crawled up to Rusl, pawing at his shoulder. Rusl turned his head to look at him. He said nothing, just stared.

"Aka." Link hit his arm.

"Link, be nice." Rusl closed his eyes. Link tilted his head a little and then lied down, curling into Rusl's chest. "That's really cute."

"Hehe, they look like brothers."


	3. Memory

~One week days later~

Thomas was unable to locate Damion. Rusl was of course upset and wouldn't speak for a few days. He stayed with Shena and Thomas for a while until he was alright. Telma and Link both helped in cheering him up. Once, he and Telma played River Monsters again while Link teethed on a wood block.

Today was the day Thomas escorted Rusl home with a wagon-full of some supplies to help out his village, there was many who contributed to the pile.

"You sure you're going to be alright?" Thomas asked. Even though he barely knew the young boy, he cared for him.

"Yea. I'm still rather depressed, but I'll be ok. It's not easy losing a parent. Especially when you become an orphan. I'll be strong for Uli though."

"That's good to hear." Thomas stopped the wagon in front of a bridge. "Across this bridge?"

"Yea. Beyond is our little village." Thomas nodded.

"Is it safe to cross with this wagon?"

"Of course. We have wagons even heavier crossing this bridge." Thomas nodded and started to let the wagon go forward. They followed the path, going by Ordon Spring and passed a large tree, then entered Ordon village.

"Well, this place is magnificent." Thomas was in awe about the forest. He's lived in Hyrule town his whole life, leaving occasionally to go to Kakariko or Zora's Domain.

"Thanks." Rusl got off the front of the wagon.

"Rusl!" A girl ran and tackle-hugged him. "I was so worried about you." Rusl hugged her tight.

"I'm sorry, Uli. I got caught up." Thomas smiled. Uli pulled away.

"As long as you're home safe and sound, I'm happy." Rusl smiled. Bo ran towards him.

"Rusl, there you are."

"Hey."

"Hey?! You were gone for a week without a word and all you say is hey?!" Rusl lowers his head a little. Bo hugs him and pulls Uli in the hug. "Welcome back, Warrior. The Princess and I missed you."

"It's great to be back." Bo stepped back.

"So what happened? You have to tell us everything."

"I'll try my best." Rusl wasn't sure how easy it would be for him to talk about his father's death.

"Hi, Mister. Did you bring our warrior home?" Bo and Rusl turned to Uli who was standing in front of the wagon, staring up at Thomas.

"I did."

"Where's Uncle Calin?"

"It's a rather long story, young one." Thomas admitted.

~Three years later~

Rusl traveled to Hyrule Market once again. He's traveled there before several times since what happened. This time, he brought Uli along so she could see what it was like beyond Ordon.

"Wow…"

"You haven't seen anything yet, Uli. Follow me. Stay close, ok?" Uli nodded. She grabbed his arm and they walked into the market. It was busy with people like usual.

"Oh my gosh it's so crowded." Rusl smiled.

"I'll show you a place I visit every time." They walked through the crowd and through the alleys until they found a flight of stairs. Uli gripped Rusl's arm tighter, feeling scared. They walked down. Rusl opened the door and they both walked in. Instantly, Rusl knew something was wrong. Tenya was hugging a crying Shena tightly.

"Hey, is everything ok?" Tenya glanced over at him. Instantly, he feared the worst. Shena broke from Tenya's hold and looked at Rusl.

"Hi, Rusl. It's so nice to see you." She wiped her face.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Rusl was starting to worry more and more. _"Did something happen to Thomas? Or Link?!"_ Is what he wanted to add, but he decided not to.

"Yes, I guess you could say that." Shena breathed in and relaxed. "Mayrie has decided to turn on us. She tried to take Link from me."

"What?!" Uli let go of Rusl and looked between the two. "What happened?"

"Well, I let Link play outside, I turned my back for a minute, if not less, he was down the alleyway, talking to Mayrie. I walked over to get him back and she tried to grab him. I grabbed him before she did. She then yelled at me, calling me a thief, and said Thomas won't be mine for much longer and neither will Link. I took off and came here. I was terrified."

"That sounds so awful. I'm really sorry that happened, Shena." Shena smiled a little.

"It's all ok. Link is safe. That's what really matters." Rusl nodded.

"Speaking of which, where is he?"

"He's playing in the back with Telma."

"Good. Oh, Shena, this is Uli. Uli, this is Shena."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Uli said rather quickly. Shena giggled.

"The pleasure is all mine, dear." Shena thought Uli was too adorable. Rusl put a finger to his lip and walked toward the back. He snuck up behind Link and hugged him from behind.

"Arg, now I got ya." Link shrieked and started giggling.

"Welcome back, Colonel!" Telma said.

"It's great to be back, Wrinkly. How are you, Commander?"

"Haha, I'm ohay." Link said. He giggled and looked up at him with his deep blue eyes. He was smiling so much, showing his single dimple which was on his left cheek.

"There's someone I want you guys to meet." Rusl turned to look at Uli and motioned for her to come over. Uli walked over and sat down.

"Uli, this is Link and that's Telma. Telma, Link, that's my girl, Uli."

"Oooh, your girl? Have you kissed yet?" Telma teased. Uli started blushing, surprised by the girl's forwardness.

"Nope, not yet."

"You should."

"You kiss Link then. Then I'll kiss Uli."

"Ew! No! He's slobbery like a dog!"

"Arf!" Link barked. Uli giggled.

"Plus, he's like a little brother to me!"

"She got bugs." Link says, pointing at her. Telma put her hands on her hips.

"Excuse me!?" Rusl shook his head and stood up.

"They be a bit obnoxious, but they're kind of like a second family." They both started laughing about something that one of them had said that Rusl wasn't quite paying attention to.

"I believe I can understand." Uli said, smiling.

"We just started River Monsters. Wanna play, Rusl?"

"Not right now, Telma. Uli and I have some shopping to do. We need more supplies for our village."

"That's ok. Can you play later?"

"Maybe. We'll see." Telma smiled. Rusl smiled back. "Let's go, Uli." Uli smiled and followed Rusl out.

"You were right, they're little cuties. Especially little Link, he's so adorable. Hee hee, if I didn't know better I'd say you guys were related." Rusl smiled.

"Shena says the same all the time. She's kind of like an aunt, or maybe even an older sister. And you remember Thomas, right?"

"Mmhmm. You two looked like long lost brothers."

"You really think so?"

"Yea. Maybe it's just the hair or the eyes. Though, you can definitely tell where Link gets his looks from."

"Definitely. Though, his eyes are a bit strange. They're pretty dark shade of blue. Kind of like the eastern part of the sky when the sun has nearly sunk. They're not a light blue like Thomas's. Or most babies. His eyes have always been that color."

"I think it adds to his unique character. He seems to be rather different himself." Rusl stood in front of a stand, looking over everything.

"He is rather different, isn't he?" Rusl looked over the stand's supply. "We need some more rope, don't we?" Uli nodded.

"Yes. Ronjer would probably appreciate more hay for the goats too."

"Right, right…"

"Is something wrong?"

"Well, you know Ronjer. He's a little…" Rusl sighed. "Ever since his son was born, he's always been going on and on about him, bragging about him even though Fado doesn't like the attention. Fado such a soft spoken child, too. So he can't really speak up for himself."

"Well, one day when you have a child, you'll probably want to brag about him too."

"Maybe, but not like that. A swordsman is supposed to be disciplined and humble."

"Ronjer isn't a swordsman though. He's a spastic country bumpkin with an ego as big as the herd. His father passed just before Fado was born too, so you got to give that to him. Fado is the only family he has left." Rusl sighed. There was something he wanted to add to that, but he refrained from doing so, so as not to upset Uli. They purchased some rope and continued on with their shopping. As they walked, a little boy runs into him. A large pile of books fall to the ground.

"Ah, I'm sorry." The boy starts to pick up all the books he dropped. Rusl kneels down and helps him, noticing some discoloration under the boy's sleeves.

"Don't worry about it, little one." The boy stands up, carrying all the books. "That's a lot of books you have there."

"I know… They're notes. I'm studying about the Sky People. I want to be just like my dad."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm. I have no time to waste."

"Shad." The boy turned around.

"Right here, Auru." Shad says. An older man walks up to them.

"There you are. You know not to run off on your own."

"Hello." Rusl says.

"Hello there. I've seen you around before, haven't I?" Rusl shrugs one shoulder, the rope being wrapped around the other to be carried.

"I don't know."

"I must have. You're familiar. Well, anyway, my name's Auru. I'm this boy's guardian as of late. Family issues."

"I see." Shad looked to me around Telma's age, maybe a little younger, though his glasses made him look older. "It's nice to meet you both."

"Likewise. Come along, Shad, we better get back home."

"Ok." Shad smiles shyly. "See ya." Auru and Shad walk away.

"You saw those too, right?" Uli asked.

"The bruises? Yes."

"I wonder what caused those."

"I don't know, but I think it may have to do with the family issues. Thomas may know. He often takes cases like that." Rusl and Uli kept walking through the market, buying what all they needed for the village. Uli even bought some yarn to crochet. Rusl eventually spotted Thomas. "Thomas! Hey!" Thomas turned around.

"Hey, Rusl. Long time no see." Both smiled.

"I know. You remember Uli?"

"Yes. It's nice to see you again, angel." Uli smiled brightly.

"Thomas, I was wondering, there was a boy who ran into us named Shad. We noticed he had some bruises. Do you know why that'd be?"

"Oh. Yes. I know. His father recently passed away. Both he and his mother were rather distraught. Though, his mother took it to extreme levels, going as far as to blame the boy for it, causing him harm. A fellow knight, Auru, found out and managed to take Shad away from her and into his custody. So far, she hasn't caused any problems. It's been a few months. The poor boy is only eight too, such a shame he had to go through that torment."

"That sounds awful…" Uli trailed off.

"Indeed."

"And I guess Mayrie is up to something as well lately. Something that's not very good at all." Rusl said.

"What?" Thomas was instantly worried.

"According to Shena, she tried to take Link away. Shena managed to keep hold of him, but Mayrie then started to threaten her. We went to Telma's bar and found Shena was crying in Tenya's arms. That's when we found out."

"I see…"

"I don't know about you, but I feel like Mayrie is going to do what she can to carry those threats out."

"Oh, I'm sure she will. She was always rather stubborn when it came to what she wants." Uli latched onto Rusl's arm.

"You probably should go see Shena when you can. I'm sure she'd explain much better than I can. She probably wouldn't mind seeking comfort from you."

~Two years later~

Rusl slashed his sword down on a training dummy made out of wood. Over the years, he's gotten pretty good at his sword fighting. He slashed again at the dummy and cuts it down. He turned to the other dummy and sliced it down as well. There was a barking sound behind him. Rusl turned around and saw a wolf staring at him. It was a bit strange, it was glowing a golden color and only had one eye which was red. Rusl yelped in surprise and rose his sword. The wolf approached a bit closer then turned around. The wolf turned his head to look at him.

"Uh…" The wolf walked a bit down the path, continuing to look at him. Rusl took a step towards him. The wolf stepped forward, then took off. "Hey, wait!" Rusl took off after him. He stumbled through the woods quickly, going passed the spring. He eventually caught up to the gold wolf. The gold wolf stood guard next to a little boy. Rusl stepped up to the little boy, finding him familiar.

The wolf whimpered and nudged the boy with his nose. Rusl put his sword back in its sheath and turned the boy onto his back.

"Link…" Rusl lifted the unconscious boy up. Link was pretty badly wounded and covered in mud. Rusl looked up to the gold wolf and found him gone. Rusl looked back down at Link. He stood up and carried the boy back to his house, luckily he wasn't too far from his training grounds. Once he got to his house, he knocked on the door with his foot. Uli opened the door within seconds. She instantly saw the boy in his arms.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I found him like this. It's Link."

"Link?" Uli looked at the boy again and gasped. Uli held the door open for him. Rusl walked in and set Link down on the couch.

"Will you take care of his wounds? I'm going to go back out there to see if either of his parents are close by."

"Right, of course. Be careful." Rusl nodded.

"When am I not?" Uli crossed her arms.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Uh… no. I'll be back." Uli nodded. Rusl adjusted his sword around his back and walked out. He walked to the spot he found Link, then looked around the area, finding footsteps in the mud. Not only those of a small child, but also of creatures he recognized the tracks of easily.

"Bokoblins…" he mumbled. He followed the footsteps, following where they came from. He eventually saw some bigger footprints that seemed a little bit strange, the way the pattern was wasn't normal for a usual run, _"They must be injured."_ The larger prints went off in a different direction. Rusl followed those prints, going deep into the woods. Then, he spotted her. Rusl ran to her side. "Shena!" He called. He knelt beside her and shook her shoulder. "Shena, are you alright? Wake up, please…" She didn't wake. He spotted wounds all over her. He turned her onto her back and saw she had a couple of gashes on her stomach and chest. Rusl listened for a heartbeat, but heard nothing. He started to tear up. He closed his eyes tight, trying to keep the tears from flowing.

"I'm so sorry, Shena… I'll protect Link, no matter what. I promise." He found a place to bury her and he spent hours digging a deep enough grave. He buried her so that the bokoblins didn't come back and try to eat her. He knew he couldn't carry her back on his own and if he left her, she may not be there anymore. He turned back, following the path.

He continued to follow until he found where the two paths met. Following that path, he soon found a campsite. There was a small fire that was barely burning and a bunch of odds and ends for them to survive. He didn't find Thomas anywhere, not even footprints going off in a different direction. Rusl spotted something on the ground and went to it, finding a blanket with a unique pattern on it he'd never seen before. Rusl picked it up and carried it. He found nothing else he could really take back to the village for Link to have, so he started to head back home.

He went to Ordon spring and dipped the blanket in the water to wash it.

"I don't know if you really exist or not, Spring Spirit, if you do, please bless this blanket so that the one who uses it may be protected and warm. It's for a young boy who has just lost his mother and quite possibly his father as well." He picked the blanket up after rinsing it for a bit longer and then picked it up. He went back home and hung the blanket to dry. The colors were vibrant. The base of it was a midnight blue and there looked to be different patterns too difficult to describe, perhaps vines of some sort, or maybe tree roots.

Rusl went inside his house, finding Uli cleaning in the kitchen. Link slept on the couch, covered by a light blue blanket. There was bandaging on his face to cover up a scratch on his cheek. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

"Welcome back, Rusl." Rusl nodded at Uli. He walked over to the table and sat down. Uli set a bowl she was cleaning down and sat with him. "What did you find?"

"Well, I found Shena. By the time I got to her, she already had passed on." Uli covered her mouth.

"Oh no…"

"I couldn't find Thomas anywhere. I did find a campsite. Seems they were chased down by bokoblins. I don't know why they were all the way out here of all places. I'd say just camping, but without Thomas? Something is wrong."

"Are you thinking about going back to Hyrule to see if you can find out?"

"Most definitely. Just, not yet. I want to make sure Link is situated first before I go, I'm the only one he really knows here." Uli nodded slightly. Rusl stood and then scooted his chair next to the couch, keeping an eye on Link as he slept. After some time, he started to stir, but not quite opening his eyes. "Are you awake, little one?" Rusl turns to look at Uli. "Uli, I think he's waking up." Uli turned to look at him.

"That's a relief, the poor dear…" Uli sat back down at the table. Rusl turned to look at Link just as his eyes started to open.

"Hey, how do you feel?" Link seemed to look confused.

"Sleepy… my head hurts…" Despite that, he sounded purely adorable.

"That's no surprise. You probably will be for a while. You hit your head pretty hard, little one."

"Who are you?" Rusl was taken by surprise. Link knew who he was, they'd always play games with each other. Link always smiled and called out to him whenever he'd see him.

"My name is Rusl."

"Oh… am I home?" Rusl turned to look at Uli. She looked at him sadly and slightly shrugged. Rusl turned to look back at Link.

"Yes, little one, you're home now."

"Where was I before?" Rusl answered with what he could think of.

"You were in the woods and got hurt. You don't remember anything?" Link slightly shook his head.

"No. I remember seeing a light. It was really fast and I'm here. That's all I know."

"You…" Rusl stopped to think of what to say that would make sense. "Wandered off into the woods and climbed a tree, you fell out. I was led to you by a wolf and I brought you home. You had a lot of wounds, so you were probably attacked by Bokoblins. You hit your head pretty hard since you don't remember anything."

"Oh…" Link started to cry, letting out a sob.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"I'm scared…" His voice got quieter.

"What are you scared of?"

"I don't know anything…" Rusl puts a hand on his head to try and calm him down. He'd do that to Uli whenever there was storm or she had a bad dream.

"Just relax. Sleep, you need it to get better." Link closed his eyes, another sob escaped, but soon he was back to sleep. Rusl stood up and fixed the chair he sat in. "I can't believe it. He has no memory." Rusl rest his arms on the chair and covered his face. Uli stood up and walked beside him, wrapping her arms around him.

"He may have lost his memory, but you can help him create more memories. There's some that can't be replicated, but you can still form a bond with him. An even stronger one this time." Rusl looked at Uli and smiled. Uli smiled back. "You'll figure something out, my warrior." She kissed his cheek and walked back to the tub full of water. There was a knock on the door. Rusl went to open it. Bo stood in the doorway.

"Rusl, this came for you." He held an envelope in his hand. Rusl took it from his hand and opened it. Reading it, his eyes widened.

"This can't be…" Rusl reread a part of it.

"Who's it from?" Uli asked.

"It's from Tenya." Rusl turned to sit at the table. He turned his head to Bo. "Come on in." Rusl walked over to the table and sat down. He reread it again.

"Who's this?" Bo asked.

"That's Link." Uli explained.

"Him? That's the little one Rusl talks about so often?"

"Yea. He has no memory though."

"I see."

"What does the letter say?" Rusl looked up at Uli.

"Thomas was murdered by a man named Damion. Thomas managed to kill him, but sustained injuries that proved fatal."

"Damion… Wasn't he the one who killed Calin?" Bo asked.

"Yes. That bastard took another father…" Rusl mumbled. "She also said Link and Shena are missing. Well, that's not the case anymore." Rusl tore the letter in half. "Shena is dead and Link has amnesia." Rusl tore the letter more then got up and tossed it in the fire in the oven.

"Rusl, what are you doing?" Uli said, standing up.

"I'm protecting Link." Rusl clenched his fists.

"How is this protecting him?" Bo questioned Rusl's logic.

"You know what it's like to lose a parent, Bo. You've lost both of yours too, but you never lost one to a murderer. You don't know what that sort of pain does to a young man's mind. If Link found out his father was murdered, he may try to seek revenge. He's a spirited, cheerful, strong young boy. I'd hate to see that tainted due to vengeance."

"So, what do you plan to tell the boy then?" Rusl turned around.

"I'll tell him his parents died when he was an infant and that I am his caretaker because his father and I are brothers. I've already told him he's fallen out of a tree and hit his head and that's why he can't remember anything."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Rusl."

"I do." Rusl turned to Uli. "What do you say, Uli? Want to help me take care of the little one?"

"Of course. I'd love to help." Uli smiled. Rusl smiled too. Bo sighed.

"Well, I guess I can't stop you two." Rusl smiled.

"Nope!"


	4. Explanations

Rusl woke to a thump and a small voice reacting in pain to said thump, indicating that source of the small voice had obviously bumped into something. It took Rusl's tired brain a second, but he then remembered the little boy in his house.

"Link?" Rusl sat up and then got out of bed just in time for a chair to fall over. Rusl gets down from the platform his and Uli's bed is on and walks over to the table, the floor creaking below his feet. "What are you doing?" Link looked up at him, but he couldn't really see well since the house was so dark.

"I want to look around." Link's voice came through the darkness.

"Doing a really good job of it in the dark." Rusl wraps an arm around his waist and lifts him up.

"Hey! Put me down! Tall meanie!" Rusl can't help but laugh.

"You're so feisty." Rusl puts him back down on the couch where he was sleeping previously. "You need to stay here and wait for the sun to come up so you don't keep bumping into things."

"Are you magic? How did you find me in the dark?"

"I know the layout of my house. You also knocked over a chair."

"You're scary."

"I'm scary? Hehehe, you're silly. I'll sit with you if you want."

"No! You're scary!" Rusl sighs, but sits down anyway. "No!" Link tried to push Rusl off the seat, but couldn't even budge him a little bit. Rusl smiled and scooped Link up in his arms, hugging him closely. Link struggles, trying to push away from him. "Let me go, scary meanie!"

"Settle down. You'll wake the entire village."

Right on cue, Uli's tired voice came through the darkness saying, "Rsl, wht's goinnon?" She slurred her words due to her tired state. Link stopped his struggles.

"No worries, Uli, the little one woke up, that's all." Rusl assured.

"Uh-kay." Uli's head plopped back down onto her pillow and she fell asleep within seconds.

"Who is she?" Link asked.

"That's Uli. She helped take care of your wounds."

"Oh." Link yawns, his eyes watering though he wasn't crying.

"You should get back to bed, little one." Rusl stood up and put Link back down onto the couch. "It'll be light soon." Rusl climbs up to the bed platform again. It wasn't really a bed, just a mess of folded blankets on the floor. Rusl starts to drift back off to sleep when he hears another thump down below. Rusl gets up again and goes back down to the main part of the house. It sounded like the door, so he stepped outside and found Link standing on the porch, looking up at the starry sky. "Link, what are you doing?" Link turns around and looks at Rusl. Rusl could see him better since the moon was full and shining brightly.

"What's a Link?" Link asked innocently.

"That's your name." Rusl explained quickly. He stepped closer to him. "What are you doing out here?"

"I wanted to go outside. It was too quiet, I couldn't sleep." Link looked back up at the sky, seeming to be mesmerized by it.

"You like the stars." Rusl realized. He smiles and puts a hand on Link's shoulder, much like a father would. "It makes you feel small, doesn't it?"

"Yea. I feel really really small." There was a moment of silence and then, "Hey, Rusl?" Link looks up at Rusl, in turn Rusl looks down at Link. "Why am I with you? Are you my family?" Rusl had a feeling this question would come, but he thought about it ahead of time and knew exactly what he wanted to say.

"Yes. I'm your uncle. Your dad was my brother. Our dad was an Ordonian, and our mom was Hylian. We were split between the two, me being more Ordonian and him being more Hylian." Rusl knew it was a lie, but the more he thought about it, the more he knew that Link would be in serious danger if he knew he was full Hylian. Rusl knew what Link would become.

"Hylian? Ordonian?" Link didn't understand.

"Hylians live in Hyrule. They are beyond this forest that surrounds this village known as Ordon. You can always tell a Hylian by their pointed ears. You are mostly Hylian, you have some Ordonian blood because of your grandfather."

"So, I'm one of you?" He asked, still a bit confused.

"In a sense, yes. Though, your ears are pointed. Mine are not because Ordonians don't have pointed ears. Our ears are rounded."

"Oh."

"You are still Ordonian to me though despite your pointed ears. You are being raised here, where you're raised is more important to who you are rather than the blood within. You fit right in with us." Link smiled. Rusl smiled back, but his smile soon dropped when Link asked,

"Where is my mom and dad?"

"They died when you were very young. They lived here in Ordon and their house caught fire. You were rescued in time, but your parents died." Rusl felt really bad for lying, but he knew he had to protect Link's mind.

"What does it mean to die?" Rusl knelt down in front of Link, looking him in his eyes.

"It means, hmm… It means you go away. You can't come back. Your body is still here, but you are no longer inside, then you go to meet the gods. Your mom and dad are with the gods right now. You'll see them again though, but probably not for a very long time."

"Why? I want to meet them."

"You are really young and have so much life ahead of you, it'd be a real shame if you were to die now. You are a very unique child and I think you'll live to do great things. This world needs someone like you." Rusl knew this because of the mark on Link's left hand. It's because of that mark that Rusl felt the need to lie, so that he could keep Link safe for as long as possible, though he knew he wouldn't always be there to protect him. It was also as mentioned before, to keep Link's mind safe from corruption due to revenge. Rusl sat down on the steps next to Link. Link sat down as well and continued to look up. "Your parents are watching you from up there. They will always be watching you, no matter what."

"That looks really high…" Rusl wrapped an arm around Link's shoulders.

"It really does, doesn't it? It's closer than we think in my opinion, especially in certain times in the day. I believe, in the hour of-" He felt a sudden weight on his side and looked down, Link was resting his head on his side and he appeared to be sleeping. Rusl smiled and lifted Link up carefully so as not to wake him. He carried him like you'd often carry a small sleeping child and went back inside. He set Link down on the couch and covered him up with the blanket he found earlier. "I'll keep you as safe as possible. I promise."

Rusl went up to his bed and fell back asleep. He woke to hear laughing and giggling. He sat up and noticed Uli wasn't beside him. He crawled over to the edge of the platform and looked down. He saw Link sitting at the table, Uli was sitting with him. Link appeared to be drinking some milk.

"So, after that happened, he slipped and fell into the horse trough and couldn't get back up because the trough was too deep." Link started giggling again.

"Are you telling of what happened to me at the ranch?" Uli looked up.

"Yep! It was so funny." Rusl rolled his eyes playfully and got up. He came down from the platform and sat down in a chair at the table. Link turned to look at the cupboards in the kitchen.

"There's imps in the cupboards." He said and pointed to one of the cupboards.

"Imps?"

"Yea, they're tiny with pointed ears. They keep laughing at you, Rusl." Rusl pointed to himself.

"At me?"

"Mmhmm." Rusl would admit, that kind of creeped him out a little.

~Three Weeks~

Rusl returned to Hyrule Market to inquire about recent events. He decided to head back at this time since Link had adjusted to life in Ordon so far. He made friends right away, though he was a bit shy. Fado was old enough to understand how to keep a secret, it was a bit harder to explain to Ilia since she's barely six years old. Link took to her easily though and they became the best of friends in just a tiny amount of time.

Rusl walked into the market and noticed a significant change in the atmosphere from what he remembered. He headed over to Telma's Bar immediately. Tenya stood in her usual spot.

"Rusl, hello." She greeted.

"Hello." He walked over to the bar and sat down on a stool.

"You're really a little ray of sunshine, young man. It's so nice to see you."

"Why does everything seem so quiet and dismal?"

"The town hasn't been the same since Tom died. He was our best knight. Everyone's been mourning his memory. We've also been mourning Shena and Link."

"Ah, yes. I… got your letter."

"Did you? I'm glad it made its way to you. It's really sad. Telma hasn't been herself lately either. She's been depressed about the whole thing, especially losing Link. Those two were like siblings, as you know."

"Definitely. Though, you can put her at ease. Link is alive. He's alright." Tenya's eyes widened.

"You're kidding… What happened? Where is he?"

"He's in my village. Appears he and Shena were camping in Faron woods and were attacked by Bokoblins. Shena was killed, but Link has been spared."

"Oh that's such a relief. At least the little angel is alright." Rusl nodded and smiled.

"Though, he's not the same boy that you knew."

"I'd believe not, being attacked by something so frightening would surely change me."

"Tenya… he has no memory." Tenya's shoulder's dropped. She couldn't believe it at all. "As far as he knows, his parents died in a fire when he was an infant. I don't want him to know Thomas was murdered. You know what happened to me when I found my father had been killed. I don't want Link to be tainted by such rage."

"It's probably for the best. I'm going to miss that little one. He had the cutest smile that would brighten your day by a simple glance." Rusl smiled. "I speak goodly, don't you know?"

"Yes, I do, indeed." Tenya laughed wholeheartedly. "So, where's Telma?"

"She is showing this new girl around the market. She should be-" The door opened. "Ah, there she is." Rusl turned to look at the twelve year old.

"Hey. Long time no see." Telma sounded different. She barely had any emotion in her words which was very weird to hear since she was much like her mother, free-spirited and pushy. Rusl stood up. He noticed a girl standing next to her with pure black hair. She looked a bit younger than Telma and her hair was in twin ponytails.

"Hey, Telma. We were just talking about you." He walked over. "I need to tell you something very important. Listen carefully. Link is alright, but he no longer has any memory."

"Link is… ok?" She looked about ready to cry. Eventually, tears started to develop. Rusl hugged her close. "I don't care if he's lost his memory… he's ok… that's all that matters." She said between her sobbing into Rusl's chest. Rusl hugged her tighter. They stayed like this for several long minutes until Telma managed to calm down. Rusl let her go and she looked up at him. "Oh, this is Ashei by the way." Telma gestured to the black haired girl.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"What? Are you a prissy stuck-up or something?" Ashei said. Rusl was caught by surprise at the girl's assertiveness.

"Uh…"

"You're not very bright, yeah?"

"I'd hope not, otherwise I'd blind everybody."

"Ok, you're acceptable."

"I thought she'd be a great addition to our resistance against the River Monsters." Rusl smiled.

"Definitely."

"You take good care of our commander, ok?"

"Of course. I am the colonel. My soul duty is to protect our commander." Telma smiled. It made Tenya smile, seeing her little girl smile again.

"You guys are weird." Ashei said.

"Takes weird to know weird." Rusl said.

"I'm not weird!"

"You're weird for accepting me."

"Well, that's because…" She sighed and crossed her arms.

"I better get on out of here, I need to get some supplies for my village."

"Take care, Rusl." Telma said.

"You too, Wrinkly." Rusl walked between the two girls and walked out the door. He didn't notice a little girl coming his way. She wasn't paying attention either and ran right into him. She stepped back and looked up at him, obviously frightened.

"I-I'm sorry." She said. She seemed really young.

"Don't worry about it." She started to run again and tripped. A man was running towards her.

"You get back here, little girl!" Rusl didn't waste a moment and drew his sword and put it in front of the man's path. He stopped quickly so as not to be cut.

"What is it you wish to do to this little girl?"

"She's my daughter and she was running away from me."

"Like I believe that. Young girl, is this man your father." She shook her head, eyes filled with fear and tears.

"He kidnapped me from home!" The girl said.

"You little brat!" Rusl stepped in the way as the man was about to charge.

"Step any closer and I will not hesitate to run this blade through your chest." The man growled and then stepped back, then took off in the opposite direction. Rusl turned around and offered his hand to the little girl. "Are you alright, young lady?" The little girl grabbed his hand and let him help her up. He noticed her face had some similarities to Link which he found a bit weird. They even had the same hair color and eyes.

"Uh-huh. Thank you, mister."

"No need to thank me, little one. I won't let some creepy man harm a young child. I can walk you home if you want."

"Ok." They walked side by side. Rusl noticed something odd on her right hand, but chose to ignore it. The way she dressed was quite elegant, wearing a pretty, long, forest-green dress and she wasn't wearing any shoes, though you don't often wear shoes while you're in your home. They're often removed upon entry into the house.

"So, why did that man kidnap you?"

"I think he wanted to hold me for ransom, I'm not sure though. I bit him and ran away."

"That's very brave of you, some children don't know to fight back or are too afraid of the consequences."

"Mmhmm. I don't want to be taken away though. Daddy had me taught how to fight so I can get myself out of danger. Though, I'm only seven, so I don't know much yet."

"Your dad seems to care for you a lot."

"Yea. He's scared to lose me. He lost mommy a few years ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's ok. Mommy is with the goddesses, she's ok with them." Rusl smiled at the little girl, she was too sweet and cute.

"Mistress! There you are!" Rusl and the girl turned around. A woman was running up to them. "We have been worried sick about you."

"I'm sorry, Aggie. Some scary man took me away. But this man helped me." The girl said.

"That's a relief." The woman looked at Rusl. "Thank you so much, sir. We are in your debt."

"Don't worry about it." He smiled. "As I've said to her, I won't let some creepy man harm a young child."

"That's very noble of you." The woman grabbed the young girl's hand. "Let's be off now, Mistress."

"Ok. Bye Mister."

"Take care, little one." The two walked off in another direction. Rusl walked over to the stands to get the supplies he needed for his village. As he walked, he spotted a book that caught his eye. It had a red binding and gold lettering on it, written it said, 'Legend of the Hero of Time.' Rusl picked it up and read the summary of it, noticing the name Link right away. _"I should get this for Link. It has his name in it. He might enjoy it."_


	5. Training

~One year Later~

"-and saves the land of Termina from the moon crashing into it and they don't go back in time this time because it was saved and it goes on to the carnival day and then Anju and Kafei get married and Link returns back to the forest to find Navi."

"Wow, sounds like quite the adventure." Rusl says. They're sitting at the table eating breakfast.

"Uh-huh, yea, I wanna be just like him when I grow up. I wanna be a hero too."

"Well, anybody can be a hero." Uli states.

"Yea, but not just anybody can be one chosen by the gods. I wanna be too."

"Who knows, maybe you will be some day. Tell you what, I can start training you sometime, you know, how to fight with a sword." Rusl offered as he put a piece of egg into his mouth.

"Really?!" He quickly swallowed the now chewed up piece of cucco eggs.

"Most definitely. You have a warrior's spirit. I can start training you later on today if you want." Link smiled widely and his eyes seemed to shine with pure happiness. Rusl ruffled his hair. "I have some things I need to do, but once I'm done, I'll come find you and we can start your training." Link nodded enthusiastically.

"Ok!" Link scooted the chair back and walked over to the door.

"If you're going outside, put your shoes on." Rusl ordered.

"But I don't need them, it's summer."

"Which means there are bees hiding in the grass that can sting your feet. Then Uli would have to get the stingers out like she does splinters. You don't want that, do you?" Link's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Then put on some shoes."

"Ok." Link walked over to the shoe pile and put on his sandals, then stepped out the door. Rusl shook his head. He then soon heard yelling and went to investigate. He opened the door just in time to see Link run off to the woods. He could see Ronjer over by the ranch.

"What's going on?" Uli asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Rusl walked out and ran over to Ronjer, who continued along his way down the path, going to his house. "Hey, what was the shouting about?"

"Jus' tellin' off that brat. Why would ya take in such a stupid creature?"

"Link is not stupid and I took him in because I care for him and his family. He has nothing left."

"Serves him right, no good pointed eared freak…"

"You do realize you're descendant from Hylians, right? We didn't just pop out of the ground like trees."

"I know that, but we evolved into a smarter group of humans than those damn Hylians. They can't seem to get their acts together, always bein' attacked and all."

"The last war was back long before any of us were born. It's been a lot of time. You need to get over what happened to my father. After all, he was my father, and I already moved on."

"Well he was like a brother to me!"

"I know that, but picking on an innocent child isn't going to bring him back. If he could see you acting this way right now, he'd be ashamed." Rusl started walking toward the forest where he saw Link run. "I just wonder how your son and you can be so different from eachother, for one thing, Fado is so much more sweet and kind than you are. Just like his grandfather." Rusl followed the muddy footprints, noticing that they looked like feet instead of sandal prints.

He soon could hear a faint sobbing and walked over to the spirit spring where Link sat by the water. He was curled up near the edge. Rusl walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Link?" Link looked up at him, his eyes and face were red and tears were streaming down his face. "Don't listen to what Ronjer says, ok? He's just an idiot who can't let go of the past." Link sniffled and tried wiping the tears, but more just came down.

"He said, I don't, belong here… that I'm a, a pointed eared freak…" Link said between sobs then started crying even harder. Rusl wrapped an arm around him.

"You're not a freak, pointed eared, yes. But a freak? If anyone's a freak, he is, I mean, one time, I saw him eating hay. He was a grown man eating hay. Hay is for horses and goats." Link smiled a little bit. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. He just feels hatred toward Hylians because of what happened to my father. He was killed by a Hylian."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm, I remember that day still. I was only twelve, I felt so mad when I saw he had been killed. I learned to let it go. Ronjer is so simple minded though that he thinks all Hylians are like that man. He's very wrong. I know plenty of Hylians who are great people. Like you for example. You're a very smart, creative, loving, sweet child and I'm glad that you are part of my life." Link started to cheer up a bit more. "I think I know something that'll cheer you up. How about starting that training?" That did it. Link smiled brightly, showing he was missing a tooth next to his top front teeth.

"Can we?!"

"Of course." He helped Link up to his feet. "Come on, I'll get you a wooden sword to practice with."

~One year later~

"Hey, um, Rusl?" Link started, they were walking down the path back home for their afternoon meal. Rusl looked down to him. "I want to be a ranch hand." Rusl was surprised by this.

"The answer is no."

"What? Why?"

"I have my reasons."

"But, I have to. Fado is all on his own. The goats never listen to him. I have to do this, please!"

"I said no, Link. It's too dangerous."

"Rusl, it's not fair to Fado!"

"I don't care. We all have to struggle in this world, that's how we get stronger. I can't risk you getting hurt just because Ronjer didn't take care of himself. I thought you hated Ronjer."

"I don't hate anybody! Fado is not like Ronjer. Ronjer was mean and that's not nice, but that doesn't mean Fado should work alone! I told you! I have to do this!"

"I told you, you're not!" Rusl yelled back.

"You're not the boss of me Rusl! I wanna help Fado. He's my best friend."

"I understand that, but being a ranch hand is very dangerous. Those goats are very large, dangerous beasts."

"I don't care! Fado was raised as a ranch hand! I can do something." Fado's dad, Ronjer, had passed away so suddenly. He complained about arm pains and then the next minute, he fell over. No one could wake him, they soon found out that his heart had stopped. It was something Uli never has seen before. It was a few days ago, Fado has been struggling with taking care of the ranch on his own, being still a young teen. Link made a decision, he wanted to help Fado. Fado was like an older brother to him almost and Link wanted to do whatever he could for him.

"You will not. I am your caregiver and if I say you are not going to be a ranch hand, you will not be a ranch hand." Link clenched his fists.

"You're stupid!" He turned and ran off, toward the training grounds. Rusl pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily.

"Why must that boy be so stubborn…?" He turned around and started walking back to his home. Things escalated quickly with that conversation… Normally Link is understanding and will listen, but other times, especially when he's very passionate about something, he wants his way.

"What happened out there?" Uli asked. She was at the table, working on a bassinette for her soon to be child she knew was coming.

"Link wants to be a ranch hand, but I told him it's too dangerous. It really is…"

"You're thinking of what happened to my mother, aren't you?"

"If those goats can do that sort of damage on a full grown woman, imagine what they would do to a boy that's very small for his age." Uli sighed and stood up, stumbling a bit due to the size of her stomach. It wasn't too big, but she was rather small.

"Link just wants to help Fado. Fado is really struggling. It's not fair to the boy, it's not fair to Link either. You always told him that he can make decisions for himself and that you would always be supportive. Suddenly, he makes a decision and you instantly turn it down."

"I promised I would keep him safe. Uli, he could get himself killed if one of those goats were to go haywire. Their horns may be smooth and round, but with enough force, he'd be mangled."

"You don't know that. Animals never liked my mother, you know that. Link is great with animals. Pergie's dog loves him. He's been up at the ranch before and not once has any of the goats charged him. I think he'll be ok, Rusl. Give it a chance, if something starts to happen, then talk to him about it, calmly. You're not going to get to a child through yelling. Especially one who is as stubborn as you are."

"I'm not that stubborn." Uli gave him a look. Rusl knew that look. She did that every time he said something she really didn't agree with. "Ok, I am a little stubborn." She stared at him until he caved in. "Fine, I'll go find him and talk to him. Gees, I hope our son or daughter doesn't inherit your stare." Rusl was joking a bit, but kind of wasn't.

"Good." She turned him around. He sighed again and stepped back out of the house. He walked down the path down to the training area. Upon arriving, he found Link wasn't there. Immediately, panic was starting to set in. Normally, Link goes over to the training area when he gets mad and starts attacking the practice dummies.

"Link?" Thinking maybe he might be hiding somewhere. "Link, I'm sorry." He called out, no response came. "Link?!" He was starting to really panic now. Link wouldn't have… gone into the woods, would he? Rusl told him several times that the woods were very dangerous. The gate though, that should be there. It should be in his way. Then again, Link is clever. Shena told Rusl of one of the times Link escaped the house when he was a toddler. No matter what they tried, they couldn't keep him in at times. "Link?!" He called again. No response.

He started running over to the gated bridge. The gate was still intact, but he noticed a bit of a large rock sitting in front of it. Rusl tensed up when he saw this. He unlocked the gate and opened the door quickly. He ran across the bridge as fast as he could, though being careful not to stumble.

"Link?!" He called again, getting nothing in response again. The woods were quiet except for the chirping of birds and the rustling of the leaves. It was nearly autumn, so the leaves were starting to turn color and fall to the ground. His worst fear was soon confirmed when he heard a blood curdling scream come from deeper in the woods. "No… Link!" He ran in the direction the scream came from. It felt like an eternity of running, hearing nothing, not even birds. It's like everything went silent. "Link!" Rusl called. He came to an opening in the woods. There, Link was slowly walking in his direction. "Oh my gods, you're ok!" Rusl ran over to him and pulled him into a tight hug. "I was so worried about you." He pulled away from him. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Uh-uh, no. I'm ok. Goldy saved me, Rusl." Link turned his head back behind him. "Oh, he's gone."

"Goldy?" Link turned back to look at him.

"Yea, he was gold and glowing. A big dog with a glowing red eye. A bokoblin was going to hurt me, but I heard a growl and Goldy was there and he made the bokoblin go pop. He started to walk away, but turned and looked at me. I started to follow and now I'm here." It had to be the gold wolf. The one who led Rusl to Link the day Shena died. This gold wolf must be his guardian or something, he wants to keep Link safe.

"You know, the day you woke up with amnesia, before you woke up, I saw a gold wolf that led me right to you. He barked at me and made me follow. I found you and brought you back home, then you woke up."

"Really?" Rusl nodded and smiled.

"He's your guardian spirit, Link. He's trying to protect you, keep you safe. For what reason, I don't know. But it's a good thing, I'm sure." Link smiled. "And, about earlier. I'm sorry. I just want to keep you safe. I promised I would keep you safe, not only to your parents, but to myself as well. You're very precious to me. Uli's mom died because of those goats and I'm scared that you will get hurt."

"I'll be ok, I promise. I have Goldy. He'll protect me if I need him."

"That's why I decided you can be a ranch hand if you want to. If things get too rough, though, I expect you to take a break from it, ok?"

"Ok."

"Promise?"

"Uh-huh. I promise." Rusl was satisfied with that.

"Good. I'll hold you to it." He lifted Link back up. "Now, let's get back home, you still have some training to do."

"Ok!" Link smiled cheerfully. Rusl realized something, when he saw Link, he quoted his own dad, when he himself was about Link's age, when those Bokoblins attacked and old man Fado brought him home. Rusl realized in that moment, how much he cared for Link. He daresay he considered Link his own child.

* * *

Sorry this took so long. I don't know if anyone actually cares or not, but if you do, then I'm sorry. I was having a lot of writers block with this story, but now I have more motivation, so hopefully I can get more chapters out on here soon, not just for this story, but other stories. Remember though, I never discontinue a story, it will eventually be updated, please be patient if you care enough about my stories.

See ya,

-Avy (Twi)


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